Conference wins to inject $16 million into Brisbane economy

The Brisbane Marketing Convention Bureau has made a flying start to the 2013/14 financial year, helping to secure seven new conferences for the city.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the conferences would inject more than $16 million into the city’s economy, while bringing 5,600 delegates to Brisbane.

Cr Quirk said some of the wins were the result of bids done in partnership between Brisbane Marketing and Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC).

He said the winning bids, all secured in July, include:

Asia-Pacific Model United Nations Conference (2014)

Australian Lung Cancer Conference (2014)

Zoonoses Meeting (2014)

International Congress on Traffic and Transport Psychology (2016).

“These wins confirm that Brisbane is a hotspot for conventions in the Asia-Pacific,” Cr Quirk said.

“They’re yet another sign of Brisbane’s emergence as a new world city as we gear up for the G20 Leaders’ Summit in November 2014.

“Brisbane’s growing appeal to conference organisers is also reflected in the latest International Congress and Convention Association City (ICCA) Rankings.

“We jumped to 56th on the list with 40 meetings in 2012, up from a ranking of 87 with 24 meetings in 2011.”

The ICCA City Rankings is a league table of cities based on the number of international association meetings they attract.

Cr Quirk acknowledged the role Brisbane Marketing played in helping to bring important conferences to Brisbane.

“Brisbane Marketing’s strategic focus of attracting conferences that align with Brisbane’s key sectors has driven much of our recent conventions success,” he said.

”Conferences attract thousands of high-spending national and international delegates to Brisbane annually, injecting over $250 million a year into the local economy.

“Over the longer term, conferences also help to attract talent and investment to Brisbane, driving the city’s ongoing economic growth and development.”

Brisbane Marketing Convention Bureau Director Annabel Sullivan said the Bureau provided an effortless one-stop-shop of free independent advice and support services to help plan, promote and stage a successful event in Brisbane.

“Brisbane Marketing’s services include assisting with bidding for national or international conferences right through to promoting conferences to potential delegates,” she said.

“We also offer a great range of online tools including our recently revamped Brisbane Event Planner, Australia’s only dedicated online city directory.